Blood,Sweat, and Tears
by Latts Razzi
Summary: Jate'Kara, a teen Mando in the Mandalorian Civil War, is challenged when the Death Watch is assembled. Jaster Mareel, the Mand'alor, has to face his old friend Tor Vizsla, now his enemy until death. Which side will you vote for? Things will get even messier when the Jedi get involved...
1. Chapter 1

Blood, Sweat, and Tears.

A Mandalorian novel by

Latts Razzi

Jate'Kara Ononae was fifteen now, and her birthday wasn't exactly turning out as perfect as she had hoped.

She had expected a new weapon, some better wrist gauntlets, or perhaps even paint to cover the nasty yellow on her shin guards. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Now, as she crouched behind the tree from the sly enemy unarmed, she realized how hopeless it all was. The only safety was high up, and the trees were inaccessible with their rotting branches. She could dash for the nearby hut, or surrender. If she surrendered her captors would be completely unmerciful.

It was a dash for the hut.

The second she began her sprint, she could hear shrill voices behind her.

"There she is! After her!" Jate'Kara knew she was doomed and tried to duck the water thrown at her.

With only one stumble, all six of her baby-sitting charges pounced upon her, and soaked her completely.

"We gotch you, 'Kara!" Six year old Tracyn laughed. He was usually the ring leader, even though the oldest, Meshuroc, was eight. The youngest, Kyr'yc , was only two.

"I surrender." Jate'Kara sighed pathetically.

"Yaaay! We win! Oya!" Meshuroc shrieked happily to her younger brothers.

"Oya!" repeated Kyr'yc. Everyone but Jate'Kara laughed.

"Fantastic. Could you get off me now?" They replied by jumping on her. Slowly, she struggled to her feet.

"OW! Would you get off—Hey! Let go of my hair! Purjai, you too. I said stop—STOP! YOU LITTLE RASCALS, GET OFF ME!" With two toddlers draped around her neck, two on her left arm and one on her right, and Tracyn with a death grip on her ankle, Jate'Kara realized that until she agreed to their terms of surrender, she was going nowhere.

"Okay, you won already! What do you want me to do already?" There was a moment of silence as her captors considered the options.

"Tag!" Shouted Purjai, a seven year old with dark hair.

"Tag, tag, we want tag! Tag, tag, we want tag!" They chanted.

"Fine, but only hide and go seek tag. You silly ade are driving me crazy!"

"Hide speedy-quick!" Tracyn advised his minions.

"One, two, three, four,…" Jate'Kara counted. When she reached forty, she quit and went inside to change. They wouldn't realize she had tricked them and hide for hours.

With a heavy sigh, she stripped from her soggy attire to something dry. What a day. Why was she always made baby-sitter? Her parents went out hunting with other older members of the clan, and she and a few other guys and girls her age took turns with the role of "buir" for the day. Sometimes she received the better of the three groups, but today, her _birthday_, she had the worst.

Collapsing on the sofa, she heard a small giggle from her bedroom. She had told them a million times not to go in there! Scowling, she yanked open the make-shift door. The precariously balanced bucket of water fell squarely on her head. It was not going to be a good day. At all.

"TRACYN! I-WILL-KILL-YOU!" She fumed, ripping the bucket off of her head. She dove under the bed and dragged Tracyn out by his ankle.

"Jate'Kara?" He whimpered in his tiny little voice.

"WHAT?"

"I wuv you."

"Aw, such a darling little ad." His mother sighed as she walked in.

"You're back." Jate'Kara said flatly.

"Yes I am, 'Kara, and so are the other buire. Thanks so much for taking care of the ade for a while. Did you have fun?"

Jate'Kara stared in stony silence.

"Okay. They behaved themselves, right?"

More stony silence. The other parents stepped in.

"Have you seen Meshuroc?" One asked.

"Yes, or Purjai?" Questioned another.

"They're probably out in the woods somewhere, hopefully dying." She grumbled.

"SURPRISE!" The other five popped out of the laundry basket.

The adults all laughed, said how cute it was, and wished her a happy birthday.

Jate'Kara just wanted to lay down and die herself.


	2. Chapter 2

The next day was _somewhat_ brighter.

Over lor'vrom, her father announced that there was to be a meeting between all New Mandalorians. Obviously there was some kind of argument that was important.

"I have no idea what kind of argument this might be," Her father began, "nor who is in it, but the Mand'alor says it is important, and that we must attend it. And unless we intend to argue with Jaster, which we do _not_, we will do as he wishes. Now, Jate'Kara, I want you to-"

"Lek, lek. I know. Babysit."

"Don't jump ahead of me!" Her father said sternly.

"Yes Buir." She mumbled.

"As I was saying, I want you to come with while someone else watches the ade."

"Kandosii! Will Bes'laar come?" She asked excitedly.

"I did say everyone, didn't I?"

"When? When will it happen? Tell me, Buir!"

"It is an argument, therefore it must be taken seriously, not in a happy manner."

"But it can be attended in a happy manner if Bes'laar is there! I haven't seen her in _months_!"

"It will happen today at sunset or sometime around then. We gather at the old camp east of here."

Jate'Kara grabbed her backpack and stuffed it with the remains of her breakfast, then picked up her helmet.

"You aren't really going out there alone are you?" Her mother asked.

"Mom, I'm already supposed to have left the house three years ago. I can take care of myself. As a matter of fact, by next year I'm supposed to be _married_. _**Married**__**! **_Why do you insist that I stay here anyway?"

"Well... you're our only ad. We'd get lonely." She said quietly. Her mother looked on the brink of tears.

Jate'Kara paused halfway out the door.

_Great. If she cries again I'll feel guilty, and then Dad will yell again, and it'll be a nasty mess all over again like last year. Now what?_

"Um..." Jate'Kara stammered. "Umm..."

Her father crossed his arms.

Then a miracle happened.

"JATE'KARA!" A voice called from outside behind her.

She whipped around, only to be tackled by her best friend.

"Jate'Kar'adika! Tal'vod!" Bes'laar screamed joyfully.

"Bes'laar! How did you get here?" Jate'Kara grinned.

"My Buire- They picked me up and brought me with so I could see you!"

"KANDOSII!" Jate'Kara exclaimed.

"I know! It's absolutely wonderful! Come on, let's go early! Everybody's coming- Your Uncle Jorbe and his family, my aunt Orar, her family, my grandparents, the Mand'alor, All the cousins and there friends, my old crush Kote and his brother, Absolutely EVERYONE will be there! What are we standing here for? Let's go! We have to see everybody and do everything, and good heavens, look at the time! It starts in only eight hours! We have to hurry!"

"Wait! It's only a mile, that takes-"

"Half an hour of precious time! Let's go!"

Jate'Kara allowed herself to be dragged at a sprint by her best friend Bes'laar.

_I forgot how much she talked. _Jate'Kara thought happily.

Bes'laar was definitely an social kind of person.

The sprint was only fifteen minutes, and the camp was already being set up.

"We're here." Bes'laar gasped.

Jate'Kara had no breathe left to talk with and did not reply.

Bes'laar sat down in the open field with Jate'Kara and was about to rest when her grandfather walked by. She dashed up and began to talk to him at a few hundred miles an hour.

Jate'Kara smiled and sat down.


	3. Chapter 3

She had forgotten how fast her friend could talk. It brought back the memories of the good old days. It also brought back her nightmare past. She shuddered. She needed to find something to do. Standing back up, she meandered the old camp.

Jaster Mareel sat by himself at the edge of the the forest.

Slowly, he rubbed his forehead. He had been such an fool.

From behind him Mav, his wife, approached slowly.

"You're in one of those moods again, Jaster Mareel." She scolded gently.

"Why shouldn't I be? I've been a complete _idiot_! Every leader in our past has killed the challenger to his leadership, and I have let him live. Why, Mav? Why did I let him live? I am weak."

"Jaster! What have you ever done that is weak?"

"I let him live."

"Letting him live was fair in your sight. You believe in second chances and mercy, and justice. That is nothing to be scoffed at as weak."

"But I have killed so many men!"

"The men you killed were worthy of death. The men you killed took advantage of the weak and the helpless. Slavers, pirates, hutts. All needed justice for their cruelties. You have never taken a job that was for vengeance."

"It would be wrong to do so."

"Exactly! Don't you see? We could have attacked the pacifists when they decided to leave us. Chancellor Kryze and his family could be dead right now. We could have raided Gonalla, the village to the South. They have no weapons. We could have joined the hate-filled plots of the Sith, as our ancestors did. We could have done so, so many terrible things. And you? You have prevented them! You are strong! Strong in what is _right_, strong in what is _good_!"

"But our tradition-"

"What is right you have chosen over tradition. You have given these people a choice. A choice to decide for themselves what is right, and what is wrong. It was just in your eyes. Tor had to live to give your people that choice. Tonight we will see who has chosen loyalty to you. But… I am hungry, and you are grumpy. I need to make lunch for us."

"Thank you, Mav."

"You're welcome." She smiled warmly and left.

_Oh, Tor… My old friend. Please don't be my enemy_. Jaster thought.


	4. Chapter 4

When Bes'laar finally returned to her friend, she had a certain sparkle in her eye that only appeared when she had a brilliant idea.

"What is it?" Jate'Kara asked cautiously. Bes'laars' last brilliant idea was to play a prank on her cousins from Couruscant. It had ended so badly the relatives swore never to return to Concordia again.

"Jate'Kara… What if you moved in with me?" She shrieked joyfully.

"That's—That's brilliant!" Jate'Kara cried. "But my parents—"

"Forget your parents, 'Kara. You should have moved out a loooong time ago. I don't care how much your Mom cries. She's not even Mandalorian, and I know you love this idea!"

"I know, but Dad is, and—"

"'Kara!"

"Yes, Bes'lasar?" Jate'Kara sighed.

"Do you want to come with me?"

"Yes…"

"How badly have you wanted to move out like a normal person?"

"Very badly."

"Then do it."

"Yes. Yes, I'll do it." Jate'Kara sighed.

"Deal?" Bes'laar asked, holding out her hand.

"Deal." Jate"Kara replied. After she shook a warm feeling of releif came over her. It was done! All day, every day with her best friend!

"Sounds like it's going to start soon." Bes'laar noticed, seeing more and more people crowd in.

"Yep. Let's see what happens, eh?" Jate'Kara asked.

"Of course! What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

The sun sank slowly to the south end of the moon.

Jaster Mareel was feeling slightly better, and called the group to attention. His face was quite serious, and an uneasy silence came over everyone but Bes'laar, smiling as usual. She began to braid her Jate'Karas' brown hair nonchalantly as he spoke.

"Welcome. We have come here for a very important decision."

"_Oh! I thought it was an argument!" _Bes'laar whispered.

Jaster continued.

"I beg you all to not consider this lightly, but consider it carefully. I have had a challenge to my leadership."

Stone silence reigned. Bes'laars' usual smile vanished, and her braiding ceased. Jate'Kara was completely numb.

"Instead of killing the man, I have decided to let him live as a test to your loyalty. It shall be as when the pacifists left us. You will have to chose your side."

From the crowd came an instant uproar, most of it nasty.

"CHOSE SIDES? AGAIN?"

"What kind of Mand'alor is he, letting him live?"

"HEY! Who is the challenger anyway? Let me give it to him!"

"No you don't! Jater thought it was fair to let you chose!"

"WE HAVE A WEAK LEADER!"

"How dare you insult him?"

"Silence! Please!" Jaster called, but the crowd continued.

"The traitor! Let me get my hands on that huu'tuun!"

"Which one? Jaster or the challenger?"

Finally, a laser blast burst into the sky, and a man with long black hair entered, followed by about eight people in identical grey and blue armour.

"Shut up!" He snapped.

Silence returned.

"Listen up, people! I am Tor Vizsla, and **I** am Jasters' challenger. Some of you may ask why. Well here it is, and I'm only going to say it once: I'm sick of this guy!"

Jaster looked extremely hurt.

"All day long, all I heard was "Justice! Equal treatment! Honor!" and all the rest of his osik." Tor spat.

"And all day, every day, I saw wealth from beyond my dreams and unlimited power wasted. _Wasted!_ The pirate incident. You guys all remember that, right? We come we do the job and the pirates are dead for terrorizing some stupid little village and all that cuteness. But what did the pirates leave behind? Can anyone answer me that?"

No one dared to.

"I'll tell you, then. Enough treasure and slaves to make us even more powerful than we evere were before. We could have been rich enough that every man and his family could live like kings, and never have to lift a finger again. But what did Jaster do?"

No one dared answered that question, either.

"He freed the slaves. The surgery to remove the trackers cost us over half of our reward, and the treasure was given back to its owners. That was treasure we could have legally claimed, and used for ourselves. We don't get nearly as much as we give away. What kind of life is that?"

Everyone was confused.

Jaster came to Tor's side.

"It is time to choose for yourselves." Jaster announced. "I have only let him live because I thought it would be right to let you decide for yourselves."

He took a sword from his belt and drew a long, crooked line. Tor stood on the left, Jaster on the right.

Jate'Kara immediately sided with Jaster. To betray the Mand'alor would be the last thing she would ever do.

After one hour, they had all chosen their side. Families separated. Friends became enemies.

In the end, both sides were equally numbered. Everyone had chosen.

All but one.

Bes'laar stood with one foot on each side of the line, tears in her eyes, focused on Tor.

"Brother." She whispered softly.

"Bes'laar." Tor returned.

Jate'Kara stood heartbroken, as her expression became colder than ice, and she sided with her older brother. It was a look of hatred for Jate'Kara.

"It is done." Jaster said quietly.

"Yes. It is done." Tor replied. "Now that I am the new Mand'alor of this place, I shall no longer call us the True Mandalorians. We are the Death Watch." A deafening cheer rose from the Death Watch, while the True Mandalorians could only watch.

"Now! More important business." Tor announced. "Would you follow my every command?"

A huge "YES!" resounded.

"THEN OPEN FIRE ON THESE DOGS!" Laser blasts rained upon the unsuspecting Mandalorians.

"RETURN FIRE!" Jaster shouted.

Thus began a civil war. The Mandalorian Civil War.


End file.
